A San Francisco chef who upped sticks and moved to Scotland after falling in love with the Scottish capital has won a Michelin listing within a year of opening a new restaurant in the city.
Rodney Wages couldn’t take his Michelin star with him when he emigrated but has now won a listing for the new premises in the update by Michelin Guide inspectors, alongside two other Scottish restaurants, Elements in Glasgow and 1887 in Achnasheen.
Michelin said: "It’s not every day you hear a story like the one behind Avery.
"You see, the restaurant may be a relatively new part of the Edinburgh dining scene, but for years it existed in another form around 5,000 miles away in San Francisco.
"Having become infatuated with the Scottish capital during a visit here, Chef Rodney Wages moved himself and his business there for Avery 2.0.
"A classic Edinburgh Georgian townhouse provides the setting for Rodney’s creative, finely crafted dishes that fuse global influences with superb Scottish ingredients."
Michelin said of Elements in Bearsden: "A smart neighbourhood restaurant in a very smart neighbourhood, Elements occupies a swish, lavishly renovated premises blending royal blue fabrics with dark wood and gold furnishings.
"The kitchen applies classical techniques to top-quality Scottish ingredients, while incorporating some subtle international influences – West Coast langoustines combined with chawanmushi and vadouvan is a prime example. Each dish delivers an interesting range of flavours and textures, without ever being too showy in its makeup."
Michelin said of 1887: "Situated on the banks of Upper Loch Torridon with majestic mountains in the background and manicured gardens outside, this vibrantly decorated restaurant inside The Torridon hotel is in a truly stunning location.
"The kitchen’s local and sustainable ethos results in superb Highlands produce from hand-dived West Coast scallop to Ross-shire lamb, in dishes that demonstrate a mature ‘less is more’ approach where the accompaniments enhance rather than mask the central ingredients."
The Michelin Guide Inspectors are "on the road all year round, assessing existing restaurants as well as uncovering new ones worthy of recommendation in the Great Britain and Ireland selection".
"While The Michelin Guide distinctions – Stars, Green Stars and Bib Gourmands – are only revealed at the annual Michelin Guide Ceremony, the Inspectors add restaurants to the selection year round."
Center Parcs reveals plans for first Scottish village
Center Parcs has revealed plans for its first holiday village in Scotland – a move which is expected to create around 1,200 jobs.
It declared it continues to “see significant demand for domestic short breaks”, and declared the expansion into Scotland would “provide customers with a new site to explore”.
The site chosen for the village is in the Scottish Borders, around three miles north of Hawick and 55 miles south of Edinburgh. Center Parcs said: “The site is well-located and would provide significant benefits to the local economy in Scotland, including job creation.”
Gender pay gap rises by 30 per cent in Scotland
Women in Scotland now expect to earn a “scandalous” £3,000 less per year than men as the gender pay gap rises by 30%, according to data analysis seen exclusively by The Herald.
The mean gender pay gap has risen from 6.4% in 2023 to 8.3% in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings data analysed by the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). This represents a 30% increase to the gap.
While the typical man saw an increase of £1 to their pay pack, the typical woman only saw their pay go up by 74 pence. The average woman in Scotland earns £16.74 an hour, while the average man earns £18.44 an hour. These differences in hourly pay, over the course of a year, represent more than £3,000 a year.
The pay gap has been falling for decades and the STUC has said this increase represents “a significant reversal”.
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